Job Description

Grade A - 52,737 (National Framework) or 58,409 (London - for London office based or home-based workers within the boundary of the M25) - There is also an additional homeworking allowance of 581 per annum for those working from home. Please note for part time roles - this will be pro rata.
Contracted Hours: Full time 37 hours per week
Contract Type: 2 x 12 Months Fixed Term or Secondment Opportunities
Location: Home or office based, flexible location. Hybrid working (working 2 days a week from home)
Closing date: Sunday 29 June 2025 at 11.59pm
Make a difference
Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you're looking for a new role in the Legal Services Directorate that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose, then you've found it! As a Senior Lawyer, you'll help ensure that CQC's decisions are legally sound and support our mission to improve health and social care for everyone.
Picture this
Imagine leading a team of legal professionals who are passionate about making a difference-where your advice helps shape national policy and protect people's rights.
In the last year as a Senior Lawyer, you might have:
Led the legal response to a complex public law case, ensuring actions were fair, lawful, and in the public interest.
Developed a new legal framework to support enforcement activity, helping frontline teams act swiftly and confidently.
Supported the development of new or emerging policies or legislation.
The role
You'll play an important part in delivering our mission. In this role, you'll:
Lead and develop a legal team: Provide coaching, supervision, and support to ensure high-quality legal advice across the organisation.
Advise on legal matters: Offer clear, solutions-focused legal guidance on a wide range of issues, including policy development and public law.
Shape legal strategy: Work with senior leaders to align legal priorities with CQC's goals and ensure legal risks are identified and managed early.
Show us
We will be looking for specific skills, knowledge and experience in your application form:
Demonstrated legal expertise: You're a qualified solicitor, barrister, or chartered legal executive with at least 5 years' post-qualification experience, including advising on complex legal matters.
Leadership and team development: You've successfully led and supported legal professionals, helping them grow and deliver high-quality work.
Strategic legal thinking: You've used your legal knowledge to shape policy or operational decisions, balancing risk and benefit in a fast-paced environment.
Join us and help CQC shape the future of health and care
Compliance
Note for internal candidates:
This is a secondment/fixed term opportunity. Please read the recruitment and selection policy section on secondments. You must discuss your application with your line manager before applying.
To progress your application, you'll need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK. Without valid right to work you won't be eligible for the role. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. Some roles may also be subject to a satisfactory DBS check.
Next steps
If you apply, you'll need to create a profile and complete an online application form. Your application will be completely anonymous. Please see our for more details on the process. We contact every applicant to let them know the outcome of their application, so you will hear from us whether or not you are shortlisted.
You can read the full details of the role in the
If you'd like an informal chat about the role contact - Ayo Owusuh at Ayo.owusuh@cqc.org.uk or Rebecca Watton at Rebecca.watton@cqc.org.uk Legal Managers for Corporate Legal Services. For general enquiries, please email .
The Benefits
We offer a wide range of , including:

• Annual leave starting at 27 days per year, rising to 32.5 days with service, plus bank holidays (usually 8 days per year).
• Training and development opportunities.
• Wellbeing initiatives, such as gym discounts and meditation.
• NHS pension scheme, with around 14% employer contribution.
• Discount schemes (including eligibility for a Blue Light card, at a cost of 4.99 and valid for 2 years), reward vouchers, car leasing and more!

Please see our page for the full list.
Equity for all
We know job descriptions can feel intimidating. Research shows they can cause some people to doubt whether they're a good fit. This happens more often to people from underrepresented groups (e.g. ethnic minority backgrounds). If this role interests you, we encourage you to apply. Your unique perspective, skills, and experience could be exactly what we need.
We want every candidate to feel supported and able to do their best. If you need adjustments to our process, we'll work with you to remove any barriers. Visit our for more on this. If you'd like to chat, please contact .
We promote a workplace where fairness, respect and inclusion are a priority. Diverse teams make our work better, help us deliver our mission and make our culture stronger. See our for more about this.
We welcome applications from everyone, and colleagues can find support and community among our many employee networks. This includes people of any:

• Age
• Sex
• Gender identity or expression
• Sexual orientation
• Religion or belief
• Ethnicity
• Disability

A Note on AI
AI tools can be great for research and refining ideas, but we want to learn about you. If you use AI or Chatbots to help you with your application, keep these points in mind:

• AI can support research, structuring and refining your writing, but your application must reflect your real skills and experience.
• Spell-checking and condensing word counts are great ways to use AI effectively.
• Do not copy and paste AI generated answers. These will not help you stand out; remember we want to hear about your skills and experience.
• Providing false and insincere examples goes against our core values of honesty and integrity and may lead to your application being withdrawn or termination of your employment.

Values and vision
We are guided by our , which shape our work and our culture.
Excellence - being a high-performing organisation.
Caring - treating everyone with dignity and respect.
Integrity - doing the right thing.
Teamwork - learning from each other to be the best we can.
We are a disability confident employer and a carer confident employer.

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